Cable wrapping machine



May 17, 1938.

H. HUNTER CABLE WRAPPING MACHINE Filed Sept. 20,. 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1[memo]? CZ YDE HUNTER May 17, 1938. H. c. HUNTER CABLE WRAPPING MACHINEFiled Sept. 20, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 H C fizz 2572107? 419?) L 705 (/NTEE,

Patented May 17, 1938 PATENT OFFICE 2,117,959 CABLE WRAPPING MACHINE THarry Clyde Hunter, Chicago,

American Bridge Company,

New Jersey 111., assignor to a corporation of Application September 20,1937, Serial. No. 164,826

9 Claims.

his invention relates to a machine for 'wrapping cables for suspensionbridges and, more particularly, to an improved type wrapping machine orseizing device for use in connection with 5 cable compacting machines.

Heretofore, when suspension bridge cables were compacted they wererestrained, after compacting, either by wrapping the cable with wire byhand close to the area compacted or by placing c an especiallyconstructed wire or steel band thereon. The wrapping by hand was veryslow and the proper, uniform tension desired was difficult to attainwhile wrapping. Furthermore, the steel or wire bands that were oftenused usually had to be of a particular size for each size of cable to beWrapped and usually required. a special clamp for holding their endstogether. Also, these bands usually required special machines, ordevices, for drawing them tightly around the cable. Both of these cablerestraining methods were, of course, slow as well as expensive.

It is one of the objects of my invention to provide a machine which isfast and automatic in its operation, and can be used on any size cable.

My seizing or wrapping machine'is used in connection with compactingmachineswhich hold the cable until the restraining wire is applied andsecurely fastened in position by the machine. In my invention the wireis wrapped around the cable with a predetermined initial'tension whilethe cable is held to a compacted size by the compacting machine and eachturn of the wire around the cable holds its share of the totalrestraining forces. It is necessary to operate the machine only longenough to put on a sufficientnumber of turns to carry the entirerestraining stresses.

Thus, it is then not necessary to have specially built bands or ropes ofany particular strength but ordinary drawn wire is used which is, of Ucourse, relatively inexpensivaand can be rapidly and cheaply applied.

It is another object of this invention'to provide a machine for wrappingorv seizing cables which is simple in its operation and which can bemoved quite readily along the cable. Usually such devices are bulkyandhard to handle, and get out of order quite frequently.

It is a furthe object or my invention to ,provide an improved type cablewrapping machine equipped with an automatic levelwinding device forplacing the wire evenly and uniformly around the cable.

Variousother objects and advantages of this invention will be moreapparent during the course of the following specification and will beparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown, for the purpose ofillustration, one embodiment which my invention may assume in practice.In 5 these drawings:

Figure 1 is an end elevation of my improved type cable wrapping machine;and

Figure 2 is a sectional'view taken on the line IL-II of Figure 1. 1

It is usually customary in all devices or machines ior compactingsuspension bridge cables to provide a circular yoke or ring-girder whichis made in segments and which is adapted to be easily assembled aroundgirder carries the jacks or other devices which exert pressure on thecable to resist outward radial movement of the strands of the cableswhen this pressure is applied.

In the attached drawings I have shown the essential yoke or ring-girder5 carrying a plurality of eccentric studs 6 arranged circularly on thegirder and having flanged rollers 1 rotatably mounted on one endthereof. These studs are made slightly eccentric so that they can beturned 2 in the girder to position and adjust the rollers carriedthereby radially to the center of the girder and cable. There is alsomounted on the face of the girder a number of flat faced rollers B whichare adapted to rotate freely in a plane parallel the radii of thegirder. Extending from the same face of the girder and carried therebyare a number of fingers 9, arranged circularly, the function of whichwill be described later in the specification.

An annular ring lEl, sometimes called a fiyer, through which the cableis adapted to extend, is rotatively mounted on the rollers l. The innerface of the ring is adapted to lie over and against the flat facedrollers 8 thus allowing the same to rotate freely about the cable. Thisring is preferably made up of two or more segments fastened together bysuitable splice plates and bolts, or by any other suitable means in sucha manner that they may be readily assembled and disassembled forperiodically moving the ring and machine along the cable. Gear-teeth IIare arranged along the periphery of the ring and are adapted to engagewith the teeth of a driven spur-gear 52. This spurgear can be driven byany suitable source of power, such as an air or electric motor to, inturn, drive the ring. The ring is held in place on the rollers i bymeans of flanges thereon.

It will be seen that these eccentric studs permit the cable. This yokeor 5' threaded shaft easy adjustment of the ring member to centrallylocate the cable therein.

Thereis mounted on the ring a wire carrying and supplying devicecomprising a swift 4, similar to those generally used for holding a coilof wire, mounted on a stud-spindle I3 which is attached to the annularring H). The ease of rotation of the swift can be regulated so that itsupplys the wire evenly, and without undercutting or overrunning, bymeans of friction-plates M and adjusting nuts [5.

On the same side of the ring, but diametrically opposed to the swift 4,is arranged a friction device consisting of twp blocks or plates l6,

preferably made of steel but which can be made from any other suitablefriction material, which are attached to a bracket I! by means of a boltl8, the bracket being, in turn, suitably attached to the ring. Thepressure between the plates can be adjusted by means of the bolt 18.

A second tensioning device is arranged adjacent the friction plates andcomprises a stud-shaft l9 attached to the ring on which there isrotatively mounted a friction sheave 20 made of wood, or someother-suitable material. there are arranged, on each side of the tensionsheave, friction-plates 2|. There is also arranged on this shaft aspring 22 and adjusting nuts 23. The freedom of rotation of this tensionsheave is regulated by the adjusting nuts 23 and through the action ofthe spring 22;

. Also on the same-side of the ring and arranged in a chord-like manner,there is-aflixed thereto a bar 2:3 carrying a deflecting sheave 25 andthe level winding device of my invention. This device'consists'of ascrew-block 26-mounted on the bar which is adapted to carry a threadedshaft 2 A sliding-bar 28 is arranged on the bar 24 and is connected toone end of the threaded shaft 21'. The other end ofthe sliding-bar 28carries a deflecting sheave 29 rotatably mounted thereon. On the otherend of the threaded shaft 21 there is mounted a sprocket 36. Alsomounted on the chord-like bar 24, and journaled therein, isa secondshaft 35 having a sprocket 32,0n one end thereof and a star-Wheel 33 onits oppositeend.

A sprocket-chain 34 is arranged on the sprockets between two shafts fordriving the threaded shaft 27. The toothed-wheel is adapted to cooperatewith the fingers 3 on the ring-girder when the ring is rotated. Thus, itwill be seen that as the annular ring rotates, the star-Wheel 33 on theshaft 3| will be brought into contact with the spaced fingers 9 carriedby the-stationary girder which will intermittently rotate the shaft 3!to which it is secured which, in turn, will rotate the 2'5 which, inturn, moves the sliding-bar 28, together with the sheave 29, forwardlyin small increments or a distance substantially equal to the diameter ofthe wire.

To more readily understand the operation of my improved type cablewrapping machine it opcrates as follows:

A reel of wire is placed on. the swift 4 and the free end of the wire isthreaded between the friction-plates ill and around the tension sheave223 one or more times, as desired. The wire then passes around thedeflecting sheave 25 in order to change its direction to permit it topass inside the girder E where it is again changed in the direction bypassing around the movable deflecting'sheavc iii of the level Windingdevice to the cable.

After the wire has been threaded through the machine, the free 'end ofthe Wire is securely On this stud-shaft V wrapping. This completes theoperation and the wrapping of the cable at a compacted point. The entiremachine is now ready to be moved forwardly to compact and fasten anotherpoint on the cable. There is provided a hand-crank 35 on the end shaft3| for returning the sliding-bar and deflecting sheave of the vwndingdevice to its initial and essential starting position before the startof the next seizing or wrapping operation.

It will be understood that it is necessary for the compacting machine tohold the cable until the holding or restraining wire is applied andsecured, and as it is necessary to perform this operation atapproximately three-foot intervals throughout the length of the cable itcan be readily seenthat by the use of my invention the speed of applyingthese holding wires is greatly increased, which likewise expedites thecompacting of the cableand reduces the cost of the entire operation.

While I have, in this application, specifically described one embodimentwhich my invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that.this'embodiment is merely for the purpose of illustration anddescription, and that various other forms may be devised Within thescope of my invention, as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A machine for wrapping cables comprising means for holdingsaid-machine on a cable, a revolving member'adapted to revolve about thecable, means on said member for holding a supply ofwrapping material,means carried by said member for-guiding and-tensioning the materialwhile wrapping the same, means carried bysaid member for automaticallyguiding and laying each successive wrapping of the material into closeuniform proximity with the previous wrapping around said cable, andmeans for moving said guiding and laying means intermittently a distanceequal substantially to the diameter of the wire-on each completerevolution of said revolving. member.

.2. A machine for wrapping cable with wire comprising means for holdingthe machine on a I cable, an annular rotatable ring member adapted torevolve about the cable, means on said member for holding a reel ofwire, means on said member for guiding and tensioning said wire as it isbeing wrapped on the cable, means carried by said member forautomatically guiding and laying each successive wrapping of the wireinto close uniform proximity with the previous wrapping, and means formoving said guiding means parallel to the cable intermittentlysubstantially a distance equal to the diameter of the wire on eachcomplete revolution of said ring.

3. A machine for wrapping cables comprising means for holding saidmachine on a cable, an annular ring which is adapted to revolve aboutsaid cable, said ring carrying means for holding a reel of wire, atension device carried by said ring including a pair of plates betweenwhich the wire is firstadapted to pass from the reel, a second tensiondevice carried bysaid ring around which which the movable the wire isnext adapted to pass, a deflecting sheave carried by said ring overwhich the wire next passes, a guiding sheave carried by said ring overwhich the wire finally passes to position each successive wrapping intoclose proximity with each previous wrapping as it is wrapped around thecable, and means for moving intermittently said guiding sheave.

4. The combination defined in claim 3 wherein the means forintermittently moving the guiding sheave includes a movable bar to whichsaid guiding sheave is rotatably fixed, and means for intermittentlymoving said bar and sheave.

5. The combination defined in claim 3 wherein the means forintermittently moving the guiding sheave includes a movable bar to whichsaid guiding sheave is rotatably fixed, a threaded shaft to bar isfixed, and means for intermittently rotating said shaft to move said barand sheave. 1

6. A machine for wrapping cables comprising a stationary member forholding said machine on a cable, an annular ring member rotatablymounted thereon in which the cable is adapted to lie, means on said ringfor holding a reel of wire, means carried by said ring for guiding andtensioning the wire as it is being wrapped, and means carried by saidstationary member adapted to automatically cooperate with means carriedby said ring to intermittently guide and position each successivewrapping of the wire intoclose uniform proximity with each previouswrapping around the cable.

7. The combination defined in claim 6 wherein the means carried by thestationary member adapted to cooperate with means carried by the ringconsists of a plurality of uniformly spaced fingers extending from thestationary member.

8. The combination defined in claim 6 wherein the means carried by thestationary member adapted to automatically cooperative with'meanscarried by the ring to intermittently guide and position each successivewrapping of the wire into close uniform proximity with each previouswrapping of the wire on the cable to guide and position each successivewrapping of the wire into close uniform proximity with each previouswrapping consists of a sheave rotatably mounted on a movable bar, athreaded shaft having one end connected to said bar and a sprocketmounted on the opposite end thereof, a second shaft rotatably mounted onthe ring and journaled thereon, said shaft having a sprocket on one endand a toothed wheel mounted on the opposite end thereof which is adaptedto cooperate with fingers positioned on said stationary member to rotateintermittently the shaft to which it is attached intermittently and achain extending between said sprockets for rotating intermittently saidthreaded shaft to move in turn the bar and sheave.

9. A machine for wrapping cables comprising means for holding saidmachine on a cable, a revolving member adapted to revolve about saidcable, means on said member for holding a supply of wire, means forguiding and tensioning the wire as it is being wrapped, and meanscarried by said revolving member adapted to cooperate with means carriedby said holding means to guide and position each successive wrapping ofthe wire into close uniform proximity with each previous wrapping of thewire around the cables.

- HARRY CLYDE HUNTER.

